Slide tray supporting means

ABSTRACT

A slide projector for holding a rotary tray in a vertical condition in a troughway is also adapted to hold rectangular trays in the same troughway. The advancing mechanism is adapted to sequentially move either type tray while providing for the ready removal of the vertical or rectangular tray from the troughway. The rotary tray is provided with extending hub portions sized to seat in open top cup supports provided in the projector housing. These cup supports act as both vertical and horizontal retaining means for the rotary tray.

United States Patent 3,209,647 10/1965 Hall Inventor Israel Nesson Fair Lawn, NJ.

Appl. No. 859,983

Filed Sept. 22, 1969 Patented Dec. 14, 1971 Assignee Keystone Division of Berkey Photo Paramus, NJ.

SLIDE TRAY SUPPORTING MEANS 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 353/116 Int. Cl .6031) 23/04 Field oiSearch 353/116, 117, 122; 40/79, 103

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,359,668 12/1967 Badalich 3,447,869 6/1969 Szymber Primary Examiner-Harry N. l-laroian AlmmeyRalph R. Roberts ABSTRACT: A slide projector for holding a rotary tray in a vertical condition in a troughway is also adapted to hold rectangular trays in the same troughway. The advancing mechanism is adapted to sequentially move either type tray while providing for the ready removal of the vertical or rectangular tray from the troughway. The rotary tray is provided with extending hub portions sized to seat in open top cup supports provided in the projector housing. These cup supports act as both vertical and horizontal retaining means for the rotary tray.

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/$/?A EL Nssso/v SLIDE TRAY SUPPORTING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention The field of art to which this invention pertains is in the general class of Photography and more particularly in the subclass of Projection Apparatus" for films and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art Slide projectors, as such, are well known in the art and many patents directed thereto have been insured and are utilized in the present production of projectors. This invention pertains particularly to slide projectors both manual and automatic in which the slides which are to be viewed are carried in either rectangular or rotary trays and in these trays are automatically and sequentially fed into a slide transferring mechanism. This transfer mechanism removes a slide from a tray septum and moves it to and into an illuminated optical projecting path and then returns the slide to the same septum in the tray from which it was removed. After the slide is returned to the tray, said tray is selectively advanced to the next slide septum or, if desired, the tray may be removed from the projector. In particular, slide projectors which accommodate both rectangular and rotary trays are well known, and projectors in which the rotary trays are disposed in a substantially vertical position are also well known. This invention pertains to projectors of this type and to a simple means of supporting and retaining the rotary tray in a determined alignment with the pusher mechanism for the slide transfer. It also pertains to the construction of the rotary tray as used with this projector. This rotary tray being made of two molded plastic units providing a simplified construction and with the tray septum adapted for ease of loading and unloading of slides in these septums.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In a slide projector adapted for the automatic transfer of slides from the septums of either a rectangular or a rotary slide retaining tray there is provided in a troughway portion for the mounting therein of either a rectangular or rotary tray. The rectangular tray rests in longitudinal grooves in the bottom of the troughway while the rotary tray is retained in a pair of support bearings or cups. These cups are positioned in the troughway in a manner to provide open top bearings into which projecting ringlike hub portions of the rotary tray may seat and be retained. In the present embodiment, as shown and to be more fully described, these hubs are of dissimilar size to that mispositioning of the rotary tray by an unskilled operator is avoided. This arrangement insures that the tray must be placed in a determined orientation in the projector. As contemplated, the larger of the ringlike hubs is disposed to rest in the outer cup in the projector tray receiving troughway. This, of course, leaves the smaller hub disposed to be received in a cup or bearing on the inner side of the troughway of the projector.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to insure adequacy and aid in understanding of the invention, this is not intended to prejudice that purposes of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how it may later be disguised by variations in form or additions of further improvements.

There has been chosen a specific embodiment of a slide projector and a rotary tray as adopted for use therewith and showing a preferred means for supporting this tray in the projector. This specific embodiment has been chosen for the purpose to illustration and description as shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 represents an isometric view of the slide projector of this invention and showing in particular its tray receiving troughway with the smaller supporting tray-receiving cup disposed on the inward wall;

FIG. 2 represents a plan view of the projector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents an end view of the projector as taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and with a portion broken away to show the internal construction and in particular the relationship of the cup or bearing supports for the rotary tray and their position in the troughway;

FIG. 4 represents a side view of the projector with the view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2, and showing in addition a rotary tray as supported in the projector with a portion of the tray being broken away to show the relationship of the tray and its inner hub as supported by a bearing in the troughway of the projector;

FIG. 5 represents a fragmentary end view showing in section a portion of a rotary tray and the inner cup for supporting this tray and showing the slide pusher portion of the projector about to engage a slide and transfer the slide to the illuminated optical path;

FIG. 6 represents an end view showing the relationship of a rotary tray and the troughway, and with the slide transfer pusher member being at its extreme outer portion and ready to engage a slide to transfer it from a septum of the tray, and

FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 represent views of the assembled rotary tray and its components and showing in detail the preferred construction of the tray.

In the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, there names, however, are intended to be generic in their application. Corresponding reference characters refer to like members throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The drawings accompanying, and forming part of, this specification disclose certain details of construction for the purpose of explanation of the broader aspects of the invention, but is should be understood that structural details may be modified in various respects without departure from the concept and principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now in particular to FIG. I, it is to be noted that a slide projector 20 includes an arrangement of conventionally known components such as a slide transfer and pusher apparatus 22 adapted to reciprocate in and out of a tray-receiving troughway 24. This troughway is disposed to lie parallel to the optical path of the projector and its front lens 26. It is to be particularly seen that a rotary tray support bearing or cup 28 in this embodiment may be a plastic molding attached to the inside of the projector wall. This cup, as a bearing, is only a lower 25 percent segment of a circle, however, this segment is sized to both support and position the rotary tray to be more fully described hereinafter.

In the embodiment shown the projector is an automatic projector having conventional controls by which the tray may be automatically and sequentially advanced in both a forward and reverse direction. There may also be controls for automatic focusing and slow-motion operation, which controls are shown in the upwardly extending console portion 30. These controls are deemed to have no patentable significance in this invention.

Referring next to FIG. 2 it is to be seen that the pusher member 26 is shown as moved to a position whereat the slide is transported to a position in which the slide is in the optical path of the projector. The support cup 28 seen in FIG. I is disposed on the inside of the trayreceiving troughway 24. Formed in the upper outer edge of the tray-receiving troughway is a tray supporting cup 32. This cup is in the manner of a small arcuate scallop formed in the upper outer edge of the troughway wall and extends into the wall of the troughway. This cup by means of its outer face provides an end-engaging wall which is disposed to engage the outer face of the larger hub of the rotary tray and to limit the tray in its outward travel as it is rotatably supported in the troughway. Also shown in the groove are longitudinal guideways for use in aligning and guiding a rectangular tray as it is moved in the troughway. These guideway grooves, as shown, are conventional in most projectors and are more or less standard in the industry to provide interchange ability of the several rectangular trays of the many manufacturers.

Referring next to FIGS. 3 and 5 there is to be seen in phantom outline in FIG. 3 a rotary tray 40 having its smaller inner hub 41 formed as a small disc or ring which is molded as a part of the tray. This inner hub is supported and retained by the plastic support cup 28 of the projector. The outward facing surface of this inner hub provides an inward limit to the movement of the rotary tray as it is supported and rotated. On its outer face there is provided a ring 42 which engages and is supported by the molded arcuate cup 32 formed in the outer wall of the projector troughway. As seen in an enlarged scale in FIG. 5 this outer ring is disposed to engage the outward face or wall of the cup 32 and the inner and smaller ring is disposed to engage the shoulder of the plastic cup 28 carried on the inner wall of the projector troughway. It is also to be noted in FIG. 5 that the cup supports for the tray insures that the rotary tray is rotatably supported so that its outer periphery does not engage the bottom of the troughway except by the engagement of a tooth of an advancing pinion, not shown, which is disposed to engage the tooth portion of the rotary tray 40. The rotation of this pinion either forwardly or rearwardly causes the rotary tray to be rotated a determined distance equal to one slide septum upon each actuation of the slide pusher mechanism. The pinion is also used to insure that the rotary tray is maintained in a fixed position during the movement of the slide from the tray to the illuminated optical path and back again to seat in a slide pocket of the rotary tray. In its rotation the pinion also moves a rectangular tray a distance equal to a septum ofa tray.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROTARY TRAY OF FIGS. 79

Referring finally to FIGS. 5, 7, 8, 9 and there is seen rotary tray 40 which tray is made as two moldings of plastic. A slide retaining and receiving molding includes an outer ring 50 which provides the outer retaining and positioning means for a plurality of equally spaced partitionsSl. The inner ends of the partitions 5! are molded to an inner ring portion 52 by which they the partitions, are spaced and maintained in a fixed radial alignment. As constructed, it is contemplated that one slide will be carried in each septum as defined by the space between adjacent partitions. On each partition there are molded slide guides 53 which extend into the space so as to engage the outer frame of the slide and position it in the septum.

A comblike ring shown in FIG. 9 is made as a single plastic molding and has a shouldered inner diameter portion 60 sized to fractionally engage and be retained by the inner ring 52 of the slide-retaining molding. The comblike extending fingers 62 are sized and positioned so that when assembled with the slide-retaining molding a finger 62 is disposed in each septum or cavity so that when a slide 70 is moved into the septum the finger 62 is deflected and by this deflection to provide a bias to urge the slide into frictional retention in the septum.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary end view looking at the assembled rotary slide tray as indicated by the arrows 77 in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a side view of the tray of FIG. 7 with a portion of the tray shown in section. FIG. 9 is a side view of the comblikev ring 60 with a portion of the ring in section. FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of ring 60 in an enlarged scale.

USE AND OPERATION The rotary tray is assembled with the ring 60 pressed into place in the inner bore of the'ring 50 with a finger 62 disposed between adjacent partitions 51. The assembled tray may have as many as 100 septums providing storage for 100 like-sized slides. The loaded tray may then by placed in the troughway with the larger ring 42 resting in the cup bearing 32 and the smaller ring 41 resting in bearing cup 28. The outwardly facing surfaces are sized to slide in between the opposing faces of the bearings to align and maintain the rotary tray in the desired orientation in the troughway.

The rectangular tray may be lifted into and out of the troughway as desired. The contour of the bottom of the troughway aligning and maintaining the position of the tray in the troughway in a predetermined manner. The advancing or movement of the trays is by a pinion actuated in response to the movement of mechanism actuating the slide pusher.

In the use of the word cup" to define the tray supporting bearings 28 and 32 formed in the side walls of the troughway it is noted that these cups are arcuate in contour as is provided in the inner surface of a cylindenThe cups as reduced to practice are small portions of circles such as one-quarter of a circle and in any circumstance are less than one-half a circle. Although of dissimilar size the arcs of the cups have a common axis. Terms such as left," right, "up," down," bottom, top," front, back" in," out" and the like are applicable to the embodiment shown and described in conjunction with the drawings. These terms have been used merely for the purposes of description and do not necessarily apply to the position in which the slide projector and slide tray may be constructed or used.

The conception of the slide projector and slide tray is not limited to the specific embodiment shown but departure therefrom may be made and protection is sought to the broadest extent the prior art allows.

What is claimed is:

l. A slide projector adapted for use with both rotary and rectangular trays each having numerous like-sized slide receiving septums arranged in a sequential manner, the projector having a troughway into which both the rotary and rectangular trays are removably retained, the projector further having illuminated optical projecting path to and from which the slides from the tray are reciprocatingly moved, the projector including: (a) a base member; (b) a troughway formed in the base member, said troughway having an open top and ends; (c) a bottom contoured in the troughway to provide guideways disposed to engage mating guide means provided by a rectangular tray; (d) a pair of open-topped cup bearings arranged so that one cup bearing is disposed on each side of the troughway, said cup bearings arranged in aligned condition so as to receive and removably retain a circular hub member projecting from each side of the rotary tray so that the supported tray is freely rotatable in the troughway in a substantially vertical condition and absent a supporting engagement with the bottom and sides of the troughway, the cup bearings having an end wall disposed to engage an outwardly facing portion of a hub of the rotary tray to position the rotary tray in the troughway to limit the movement of the rotary tray towards the sides of the troughway to prevent engagement of the rotary tray with the sides of the troughway, said cup bearings being arcuate in configuration with the axis of each cup bearing disposed in a common axis normal to the troughway and with the arcuate extent of the cup bearings being less than one half a circle, the radius of the cup bearings being only a few thousandths of an inch greater than the radius of the received hub of the tray, and (e) a slide pusher reciprocatingly carried by the base and disposed so as to enter the troughway and the positioned septum of a tray so as to transfer a slide from said septum to the optical projection path of the projector and from this path return the slide to the septum from which it was removed.

2. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 11 in which the axis of the troughway lies in a plane parallel to the optical axis of the projector.

3. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 2 in which the reciprocating motion of the slide pusher is substantially at right angles to the troughway and the axis of the supported rotary tray lies in the same plane as the reciprocating motion of the slide pusher.

4. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 3 in which the outer cup support for hub of the rotary tray is a formed cutout in the wall of the troughway and is less than one-third of a circle, and in which the inner cup support for the rotary tray extends into the troughway a short distance and likewise has the cup support less than one-third of a circle.

6. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays in claim 5 in which the outer cup is a cutout molded into the upper sidewall of the troughway and in which the inner cup is a member attached to the inner sidewall of the troughway.

i i l i i Patent Ne, 3, 7, #09 Dated December l l'th, 1971 mvemoflg) Israel, Nesson d it is certified that ester appears in the above-identified pete'at end that said Letters Patent are hereby eerrected' as shown below:

c L 001.. 1, line 10 "'insur'ed should read issued line 32, insert having between tray and eepline 33, tum should read tums lines &5 and 51, ringlikie should read ring-lil e--;

line +8, to should read so line 59, purposes should read purpose line 66, to should read of Colw 2 line 26, there should read those line 38, EMBODIi IENTS should read EMBODLMENT Colt 3 line 2, interchange ability should read interchangeability line #2 insert comma after they; line #8 and 51, oo'mblike should read --eomb-like--.

Cola t, line 10 and 1-3 "'"Gups" should be in quotes;

line 31 insert an between "having and "illuminated line 63 delete ll and insert l ---g line 71 insert --t"ne-- between F'for and hub.

Cole 5 line-3, insert -a-- between than and half-circle.

6 line 1 insert as between tray and in) Signed and sealed this 23rd day of May 1972. h g (Semi) Attest EDWARD -1.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A slide projector adapted for use with both rotary and rectangular trays each having numerous like-sized slide receiving septums arranged in a sequential manner, the projector having a troughway into which both the rotary and rectangular trays are removably retained, the projector further having illuminated optical projecting path to and from which the slides from the tray are reciprocatingly moved, the projector including: (a) a base member; (b) a troughway formed in the base member, said troughway having an open top and ends; (c) a bottom contoured in the troughway to provide guideways disposed to engage mating guide means provided by a rectangular tray; (d) a pair of opentopped cup bearings arranged so that one cup bearing is disposed on each side of the troughway, said cup bearings arranged in aligned condition so as to receive and removably retain a circular hub member projecting from each side of the rotary tray so that the supported tray is freely rotatable in the troughway in a substantially vertical condition and absent a supporting engagement with the bottom and sides of the troughway, the cup bearings having an end wall disposed to engage an outwardly facing portion of a hub of the rotary tray to position the rotary tray in the troUghway to limit the movement of the rotary tray towards the sides of the troughway to prevent engagement of the rotary tray with the sides of the troughway, said cup bearings being arcuate in configuration with the axis of each cup bearing disposed in a common axis normal to the troughway and with the arcuate extent of the cup bearings being less than one half a circle, the radius of the cup bearings being only a few thousandths of an inch greater than the radius of the received hub of the tray, and (e) a slide pusher reciprocatingly carried by the base and disposed so as to enter the troughway and the positioned septum of a tray so as to transfer a slide from said septum to the optical projection path of the projector and from this path return the slide to the septum from which it was removed.
 2. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 1 in which the axis of the troughway lies in a plane parallel to the optical axis of the projector.
 3. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 2 in which the reciprocating motion of the slide pusher is substantially at right angles to the troughway and the axis of the supported rotary tray lies in the same plane as the reciprocating motion of the slide pusher.
 4. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 3 in which the outer cup support for the hub of the rotary tray is a formed cutout in the wall of the troughway and is less than one-third of a circle, and in which the inner cup support for the rotary tray extends into the troughway a short distance and likewise has the cup support less than one-third of a circle.
 5. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 3 in which the outer cup support for the hub of the rotary tray is less than a half-circle, and in which the inner cup support for the hub of the rotary tray is less than is the radius of the arc for the outer cup support.
 6. A slide projector for both rotary and rectangular trays as in claim 5 in which the outer cup is a cutout molded into the upper sidewall of the troughway and in which the inner cup is a member attached to the inner sidewall of the troughway. 